Observation: Because Mrs Arcand has the students write down their homework when they arrive in the classroom, this prevents them from rushing through the last part of class, or from the teacher running out of time before getting a chance to tell the students. When the class is winding down, it ususally ends with the class participating in question/ answer activities related to the content of the class. Students are either reading, or working on their journals if there is extra time, and it seems like most of the students have no idea that class is ending soon. Other times, when a quiz or test was returned, the last minutes of class is used to review material that the class had trouble with. This lasts until the class ends, and keeps the students involved in the class. Mrs Arcand does seem to always return to the main ideas of the lesson, although the information is posed more in a critical thinking fashion, relating to real life events and observations. There is no lag time at the end of classes, since any extra individual time is spent quietly reading.
Reflection: I like the idea of posting important information on the board (hw, important dates, and class goals). In a middle school classroom, I think it is a good idea to have the students write down the information at the beginning of class since they tend to be in a rush at the conclusion, and some practice with organization and structure wont hurt either. In high school, I think that the posting of information is still valid, yet making the students write down their assignments seems kind of immature. They are old enough and should be rersponsible enough to be able to follow certain classroom guidelines. The idea of returning to the main idea of a lesson when class is concluding is important for me because i think that it gives closure to an idea. It allows the information to be revisited and thought over. It is also a time to ask questions and delve deeper into the critical thinking aspects of the information, and how it relates to everyday events, science and nature.
Reflection: I like the idea of posting important information on the board (hw, important dates, and class goals). In a middle school classroom, I think it is a good idea to have the students write down the information at the beginning of class since they tend to be in a rush at the conclusion, and some practice with organization and structure wont hurt either. In high school, I think that the posting of information is still valid, yet making the students write down their assignments seems kind of immature. They are old enough and should be rersponsible enough to be able to follow certain classroom guidelines. The idea of returning to the main idea of a lesson when class is concluding is important for me because i think that it gives closure to an idea. It allows the information to be revisited and thought over. It is also a time to ask questions and delve deeper into the critical thinking aspects of the information, and how it relates to everyday events, science and nature.